Secure Information Storage and Delivery System and Method

ABSTRACT

A system for secure information storage and delivery includes a vault repository that includes a secure vault associated with a user, wherein the secure vault is associated with a service level including at least one of a data type or a data size limit associated with the secure vault, the secure vault being adapted to receive and at least one data entry and securely store the at least one data entry if the at least one of a size or a type of the at least one data entry is consistent with the service level. A mobile vault server coupled to the vault repository creates a mobile vault on a mobile device based on the secure vault and is capable of authenticating the mobile device based on user authentication information. The mobile vault server includes a mobile device handler that communicates with the mobile device. A synchronization utility determines whether the at least one data entry on the secure vault is transferable to or storable on the mobile vault based on at least one of the size or the type of the at least one data entry and transfers the at least one data entry from the secure vault to a corresponding data entry on the mobile vault if the at least one data entry on the secure vault is determined to be transferable to or storable on the mobile vault.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/068,636, filed Feb. 8, 2008, the entire contents of whichare incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates generally to identity theft solutions and,more particularly, to secure storage of personal information to avoididentity theft.

2. Background of the Related Art

In today's world, most people have numerous account numbers, credit cardnumbers, Personal Identification Numbers (PIN), and passwords, which areoften difficult to remember and keep track of, but are frequently neededto gain access to personal accounts. For example, an individual may haveseveral bank accounts, e.g, a checking account, a savings account, and acertificate of deposit (CD) account; several student accounts; afrequent flyers account; several insurance accounts; etc., each of whichhas an account number associated with it. Further, each account may alsobe associated with a user ID and a password for online access. Relyingsolely on memory to remember all this information may be impractical.Further, storage of such information in an insecure manner may subjectthe information to loss or theft, which could potentially lead toidentity theft. Thus, a safe and secure storage mechanism that allowsthe user instant access to such information is highly desirable.

In addition, instant access to important personal documents such aslegal documents (e.g., deeds, will, power of attorney, etc) andfinancial documents (e.g., bank statements, W-2 form, etc) is also oftendesirable. Storage of such documents in a database accessible throughthe web is possible. However, once again, if these documents or theinformation they contain fall into the wrong hands, such documents canbe used for identity theft. Accordingly, what is needed is a mechanismfor storage and delivery of important personal information and data thatallows instant access to the information and data without comprising thesecurity of the information and data.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An exemplary method for secure information storage and delivery,accordingly to an embodiment of the present invention, may includecreating a secure vault associated with a user in a vault repository,the secure vault being adapted to securely store data; receiving aservice level associated with the secure vault, the service levelcomprising at least one of a data type or a data size limit associatedwith the secure vault; receiving at least one data entry; storing the atleast one data entry in the secure vault if the at least one of a sizeor a type of the at least one data entry is consistent with the servicelevel; creating a mobile vault on a mobile device based on the securevault; receiving user authentication information from the mobile devicefor authentication; and synchronizing the mobile vault with the securevault. In an exemplary embodiment, the synchronizing step may include,for each of the at least one data entry: determining whether the atleast one data entry on the secure vault is transferable to or storableon the mobile vault based on at least one of the size or the type of theat least one data entry; and transferring the at least one data entryfrom the secure vault to a corresponding data entry on the mobile vaultif the at least one data entry on the secure vault is determined to betransferable to or storable on the mobile vault.

An exemplary system for secure information storage and delivery,according to an embodiment of the present invention, may include a vaultrepository including a secure vault associated with a user, wherein thesecure vault is associated with a service level including at least oneof a data type or a data size limit associated with the secure vault,the secure vault being adapted to receive and at least one data entryand securely store the at least one data entry if the at least one of asize or a type of the at least one data entry is consistent with theservice level. The exemplary system may further include a mobile vaultserver coupled to the vault repository that creates a mobile vault on amobile device based on the secure vault and is capable of authenticatingthe mobile device based on user authentication information. In anexemplary embodiment, the mobile vault server may include a mobiledevice handler that communicates with the mobile device; and asynchronization utility that determines whether the at least one dataentry on the secure vault is transferable to or storable on the mobilevault based on at least one of the size or the type of the at least onedata entry and transfers the at least one data entry from the securevault to a corresponding data entry on the mobile vault if the at leastone data entry on the secure vault is determined to be transferable toor storable on the mobile vault.

Further features and advantages of the invention, as well as thestructure and operation of various embodiments of the invention, aredescribed in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other features and advantages of embodiments of theinvention will be apparent from the following, more particulardescription of preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 depicts a basic system block diagram according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 depicts a more detailed exemplary system block diagram accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 depicts an exemplary process flow diagram for installation andaccess to a web vault using a personal computer, according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 depicts an exemplary process flow diagram for access to a securevault from a mobile device, according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 5 depicts an exemplary process flow diagram for creating,accessing, and synchronizing a mobile vault, according to an exemplaryembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 depicts an exemplary process flow diagram for synchronization ofthe mobile vault with the vault, according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe invention

FIG. 7 depicts an exemplary process flow diagram for using a computernot including a web vault to access the vault in the vault repository,according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 8 depicts an exemplary block diagram of a system providingadditional mobile services according to an exemplary embodiment of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the invention are discussed in detail below. Indescribing embodiments, specific terminology is employed for the sake ofclarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to thespecific terminology so selected. While specific exemplary embodimentsare discussed, it should be understood that this is done forillustration purposes only. A person skilled in the relevant art willrecognize that other components and configurations can be used withoutparting from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a unique system and methodthat allow a user to conveniently store their most important informationin a secure vault—a secure storage utility used for storage andsafekeeping of valuable personal information and documents. The vault isstored on a secure database and is accessible by the user after properauthentication. In an exemplary embodiment, a two-factor authenticationis performed to allow user access to the vault. The secure vault storesimportant information, such as, e.g., but not limited to, wills,irreplaceable pictures, financial documents, contracts, passwords,account numbers, etc. Secure access to that information may be availablefrom anywhere in the world via, for example, a personal computer or amobile device. In an exemplary embodiment, the information may be sentfrom the vault to other destinations such as, for example, a fax machineor an email address.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is illustrated an exemplary basic systemblock diagram according to an embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 1,there is shown a vault server 102 coupled to a vault repository 136. Thevault server 102 is coupled to a personal computer 154 through a networksuch as the Internet 150 or a Local Area Network (LAN). Through theInternet 150, a user operating the personal computer 154 can store andaccess important data and information in a secure vault 160 in the vaultrepository 136. Such data may include, for example, account numbers,passwords, PINs, emergency contacts, irreplaceable photos, and importantdocuments such as deeds, bank statements, personal journal, insurancedocuments, medical records and prescriptions. The secure vault 160 maybe associated exclusively with the user and may only be accessed uponauthentication and in a secure manner by the user.

In an exemplary embodiment, data securely stored in secure vault 160 maybe categorized into various data types. For example, the data in thesecure vault 160 data may be divided into passwords (User IDs andpasswords associated with them), cards (bank cards and credit cards),loyalty numbers, text files, photographs, and other large documents. Inaddition, a user account may be associated with a specific service levelindicative of the amount, size, and type of data that may be stored inthe secure vault 160. In an exemplary embodiment, there may be fourservice levels, each including a specific number of passwords, pictures,large documents, etc., as well as the maximum total number of dataitems, that may be stored in the secure vault 160, at that level. Eachservice level may also have a pricing plan associated with it. Anexample of four service level is illustrated in table 1 below.

Level of Access Credit Loyalty Large Service Passwords Points CardsCards Docs Pictures Max Level 1 3 3 3 3 0 0 10 Level 2 10 10 10 10 5 030 Level 3 999 999 999 999 50 50 999 Level 4 999 999 999 999 999 999 999In this table, a user at service level 1 can store up to three of eachof the first four types of data. However, the user can store a combinedmaximum of ten items. Therefore, if the user stored three passwords,three credit cards, and three loyalty cards, he could only store oneaccess point. The number ‘999’ indicates unlimited storage.

In an exemplary embodiment, the personal computer 154 may include a webvault 162. The web vault 162 may include a copy of all or a portion ofthe secure vault 160, stored locally on the personal computer 154. Theweb vault 162 may provide the user with quick access to the informationwithout the need for the user to log into the vault repository 136 viathe network. The contents of the web vault 162 may be synchronized withthe secure vault 160, so that the data in the web vault 162 be meupdated and automatically synchronized with the corresponding data inthe secure vault 160.

In addition to the vault server 102, the system of FIG. 1 also includesa mobile vault server 104 coupled to the vault server 102. A mobiledevice 156, e.g., a cell phone or PDA, can connect to the mobile vaultserver 104 through a mobile cloud 152, e.g., a wireless network, whichmay itself be coupled to the Internet. Accordingly, the user may accessthe secure vault 160 in the vault repository 136 using the mobile device156. The mobile device 156 may be coupled to the vault repository 136via the mobile vault server 104 and the vault server 102. Alternatively,the mobile vault server 104 may be directly coupled to the vaultrepository 136.

In an exemplary embodiment, the mobile device 156 may include a mobilevault 164, which includes a copy of all or a portion of the secure vault160. Similarly to the web vault 162, the mobile vault 164 may besynchronized with the secure vault 160. In an exemplary embodiment, datathat is too large for transmission or storage on the mobile device 156may be prevented from being transmitted from the secure vault 160 to themobile vault 164. Specifically, in an exemplary embodiment, the mobilevault 164 may be adapted to store certain data types of sufficientlysmall size and such data may be synchronized between the mobile vault164 and the secure vault 160. In an exemplary embodiment, if aparticular data file is determined to be too large for transmission,information such as file name, data type, or data size of the file maybe transmitted to the mobile vault 164. Further, a snapshot of the data,such as, e.g., a first page of the document or a small version of aphoto, may be transmitted to the mobile vault 164. In an exemplaryembodiment, the user may request such data to be sent from the securevault 160 to a specified destination via email, fax, or SMS. Forexample, the mobile device 156 may be configured to allow the user toselect a specific data file, select a transmission option (e.g., fax,email, SMS), and specify a destination (e.g., an email address, faxnumber, or mobile number), to which the data is sent. The user may makesuch a request using the mobile device 156 and/or the personal computer154.

In addition to the personal computer 154 including a web vault 162 andthe mobile device 156 including a mobile vault 164, a user may also useany other computer 168 coupled to the secure vault 160 to access thesecure vault 160. In an exemplary embodiment, the user may retrieveauthentication information, as will be described later in detail, fromthe mobile device 156 or the personal computer 154 and use thatinformation to get access to the secure vault 160 through the computer168.

FIG. 2 depicts a more detailed exemplary system block diagram accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 2, thevault server 102 includes a firewall 110, which couples the vault server102 to a network, e.g., the Internet 150, and provides securecommunication between the vault server 102 and the network. Coupled tothe firewall 110, in some embodiments, are one or more load balancer112. The load balancer 112 may receive requests for data made to thevault server 102 and distribute these requests among a plurality of webservers 114 a,b. The web servers 114 a,b, together with the applicationservers 116 a,b, may handle requests to send or receive data, whichrequests may be in the form of an HTTP request. The web servers 114 a,bmay also handle user authentication, data compression, virtual hosting,etc.

The application servers 116 a,b may be coupled to the web servers 114a,b and provide the back-end application software that is responsive toand handles the requests. The application servers 116 a,b may include astorage unit 110, which includes the back-end application software. Theapplication software provides the web servers 114 a,b with methods andprotocols to handle the requests.

The application servers 116 a,b may also include a DBMS (DatabaseManagement Server) 118, such as Oracle, DB2, Microsoft Access, MicrosoftSQL Server, Postgres, MySQL, or FileMaker, which manages storage andretrieval of information to and from a database coupled to theapplication servers 116 a,b. In an exemplary embodiment, one suchdatabase is the member database 126, which contains user registrationinformation such as, for example, name, address, and billinginformation. The member database 126 may be coupled to an accountmanagement unit 122 which manages storage of user information on thedatabase 126. Also coupled to the member database 126 may be a billingmodule 120, which handles billing the user via, e.g., a credit cardtransaction, automatic debit, etc.

In an exemplary embodiment, the application servers 116 a,b are coupledto the vault repository 136 though a virtual private network (VNP) 138.The VNP 138 is a secure communications network tunneled through anothernetwork such as the Internet. The vault repository 136 may include asecure database 134 coupled to the application servers 116 a,b via acommunications server 130. The communications server 130 may be, forexample, an open, standards-based computing system that operates as acarrier-grade open platform for a wide range of communicationsapplications. In an exemplary embodiment, the secure vault 160associated with the user may be stored in the secure database 134.

The communications server 130, in the exemplary embodiment, includes anapplication programming interface (API) 128, which is a code interfaceused to support requests to send or receive data to or from the vaultrepository 136. The API 128 may be public or private. Examples of API128 may include the Single UNIX Specification and the Microsoft WindowsAPI. The API 128 includes terms and methods provided as an interface tothe vault repository 136. In an exemplary embodiment, the information onthe API 128 is hidden from the general public and is available privatelyonly to an authorized party, e.g., the vault server 102, who can accessthe vault repository 136 via the VNP 138. Thus, using the API 128, thevault server 102 can control who gains access to the secure database134. For added security, in an exemplary embodiment, there may also beprovided an encryption server 132 between the communications server 130and the secure database 134 to encrypt/decrypt the data send to orreceived from the vault server 102.

In an exemplary embodiment, the personal computer 154 may connect to thevault repository 136 via the vault server 102. A user operating thepersonal computer 154 may create a secure vault 160 on the vaultrepository 136, in which the user may store personal data and documents.The user may access the vault repository 136 in order to retrieve,update, and store data to the secure vault 160. In addition to thesecure vault 160, the user may create a web vault 162 on the personalcomputer 1154. The web vault 162 can be synchronized with the securevault 160. The user may also create a mobile vault 164 on the mobiledevice 156, which the user can then synchronize with the secure vault160. Further, using the mobile vault 164 on the mobile device 156, theuser may update, add, and delete data from the vault repository 136, orrequest data to be sent to a third destination such as, e.g., a faxmachine 158, an email address, etc.

In an exemplary system of the present invention, the mobile vault server104 may include an API 144, which provides the mobile device 156 acommunication interface to access the vault 162 though the mobile cloud152. The API 144 may be public or private. In an exemplary embodiment,the API 144 is private so that only a mobile device 156 including amobile vault 164 can recognize the API 144 to communicate with themobile vault server 104. In addition, the mobile vault server 104 mayinclude a security module 146, which may be a firewall and/or a dataencryption/decryption module.

Coupled to the security module 146 may be a mobile data manager 140. Themobile data manager 140 receives various requests, e.g., requests forinformation or synchronization, from the mobile device 156 through theAPI 144, processes the requests, and provides the mobile device 156 withinformation through the mobile device handler 148. The mobile datamanager 140 may include an internal memory or database 140 a, which mayinclude the application code that manages and processes the variousrequests. The mobile data manager 140 is coupled to the vault repository136 through the vault server 102. The mobile data manager 140 forwards arequest to the vault server 102 and, upon receipt of data from the vaultserver 102, processes and forward the received data to a desireddestination specified by the user through the mobile device handler 148.The mobile device handler 148 receives the data from the mobile datamanager 140 and formats and outputs the requested data to the desireddestination. In an exemplary embodiment, the formatting and processingof data is performed in accordance to a delivery method and destinationspecified by the user. The delivery method may be, for example, a faxsent to a fax machine, an email sent to a desired email address throughthe Internet 150, a SMS text message sent to the mobile device 156, or aSMS text message sent to another mobile device. Accordingly, the mobiledevice 156 may send requests for a document, a picture, an accountnumber, etc. to be sent to a particular email address, fax number, orSMS number. The mobile device 156 may also initiate synchronization withthe secure vault 160 in the vault repository 156, in which case themobile device handler 148 formats and forwards the data to the mobiledevice 156.

In addition, in an exemplary embodiment, the mobile vault server 104 mayinclude a synchronization utility 142 coupled to the mobile data manager140. In this case, the synchronization utility 142 is responsible formonitoring the data that is being sent to the mobile device 156. If thesize of the data is too large for transfer or storage in the mobiledevice 156, the synchronization utility 142 may prevent the datatransfer to the mobile device 156. In an exemplary embodiment, data maybe classified by data types (e.g., passwords, cards, text files,photographs, and large documents) and certain data types (e.g.,photographs and large documents) may be prevented from being transmittedto the mobile device 156. In an alternative embodiment, the data havinga size greater than a threshold data size may be prevented from beingtransferred to the mobile device 156. Further, in an embodiment of theinvention, if certain data is determined to be too large fortransmission, snapshots of the data (e.g., a small photo snapshot or aview of the first document) may be created and transmitted to the mobiledevice 156. The snapshot may be created at run time or may be createdand stored at the vault 162 prior to request for synchronization.Additionally or alternatively, other information regarding the data, forexample, data size, data, number of pages, title, etc., may betransmitted to the mobile device 156, representing the correspondingdata in the vault 162.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is illustrated an exemplary process flowdiagram for installation and access to the web vault 162 using thepersonal computer 154, according to an embodiment of the invention. Inthe exemplary process, starting with block 302 and continuing with block304, the vault server 102 receives registration information from theuser to create an account. The registration information may include, forexample, the residence and billing information. In an exemplaryembodiment, registration information also includes a service type, block305. Service type may include, for example, the size of the secure vault160 associated with the account and/or the type and size of the datathat can be stored in the secure vault 160, as previously explained.

After receiving the user registration information, a secure vault 160associated with the account is created in the vault depository 136,block 306. A unique access code and a password may also be received andassociated with the secure vault 160. Alternatively, an access code maybe assigned to the account by the vault server 102.

The user may then download a software application, herein referred to asthe web vault application, through the Internet 150 and install the webvault application on the computer 154. The web vault applicationprovides secure access from a personal computer 154 to the secure vault160, block 308. The web vault application is typically a softwareprogram that is installed and runs locally on the personal computer 154.Alternatively, the web vault application may be a web-based programrunning on the application servers 116 a,b, executable through a browseron the personal computer 154. The web vault application allows the userto access the secure vault 160 associated with that user on the vaultrepository 136 in order to store and/or retrieve personal information ina secure manner.

In an exemplary embodiment, during or after the web vault applicationdownload, the vault server 102 may generate and install at least onesoft token (i.e., software token) on the personal computer 154. If theweb vault application is a web application running through a browser,the soft token may be in the form of a cookie. The soft token is used toensure that the computer 154 is associated with a valid user and isassociated with the secure vault 160. The soft token is also used foruser authentication, as will be described later in detail.

Once the web software application is installed, the user may sign in tothe secure vault 160 on the vault repository 136 using the access codeand password, block 310. The access code and password validation mayoccur at the web vault application, at the vault server 102, or at thevault repository 136. In an exemplary embodiment, the soft token maykeep count of the number of times the user enters the access code andpassword and block the user out of the web vault application if theaccess code and/or password are entered incorrectly more than apredetermined number of times.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, in order to provide furthersecurity, a two-factor authentication is provided. Two-factorauthentication includes a second factor for user authentication inaddition to the validation of the access code and password discussedabove. In this case, the second factor includes authentication using aone-time password (OTP) in addition to verification of user's accesscode and password. An OTP is a password that is altered each time it isregenerated in order to minimize its exposure to unauthorized intruders.In this case, the OTP is generated at two different nodes-—an OTP server(not shown) resident on the vault server 102 or the vault repository136, and the soft token on the user computer 154. There are three commontypes of OTP. In one embodiment, the OTP is generated using amathematical algorithm based on the previous OTP. Thus, starting from acommon password, both the OTP server and the soft token on the computer154 always generate the same new password. In a second embodiment, theOTP is generated based on time-synchronization between the OTP serverand the soft token. In this embodiment, the soft token includes anaccurate clock that has been synchronized with a clock of the OTP serverand the password is generated based on the two clocks. In a thirdembodiment, the OTP is generated using a mathematical algorithm that isbased on a challenge (e.g., a random number determined based ontransaction details) and a counter.

In order to perform two-factor authentication, the soft token on theuser computer 154 generates a first OTP to be sent along with the user'saccess code and password to the vault server 102, block 312. Thetwo-factor authentication may be performed at the vault server 102and/or the vault repository 132. In an exemplary embodiment, the vaultserver 102 performs a first authentication on the access code andpassword. If the access code and password are valid, the vault server102 then forwards the first OTP generated by the soft token to the vaultrepository 136, block 314. The vault repository 136 may include an OTPserver that handles a second factor authentication. In that case, theOTP server receives the first OTP, generates a second OTP independently,and compares the first OTP with the second OTPs. If the first OTPmatches the second OTP, the user is authenticated to access the securevault 160 on the vault repository 136. Otherwise, the user may beblocked out of the secure vault 160.

Once two-factor authentication is performed, the user is allowed accessto the secure vault 160. In an exemplary embodiment, in order to allowthe user access to the secure vault 160, a copy of the secure vault 160is also stored locally in a web vault 162 within a hard disk or memoryof the personal computer 154. The web vault 162 may be created by theweb vault application. The web vault 162 may be synchronized with thesecure vault 160 in the vault repository 136 automatically or upon userrequest, block 316. In an exemplary embodiment, the web vault 162 mayonly be downloaded on a personal computer that includes a soft token.The synchronization may be one-way, such that the user may update theweb vault 162 via the personal computer 154 and later synchronize thesecure vault 160 to include the updated data of the web vault 162 orvice versa. Alternatively, the synchronization may be two-way, such thatthe user may specify which of the secure vault 160 or the web vault 162is to be synchronized. In yet another embodiment, two-waysynchronization may be performed automatically, such that based on whichdata entry was last updated, data may be copied from the web vault 162to the secure vault 160 or vice versa. Using the web vault 164, the usercan safely and securely store their most important personal data, whichthey can access through the personal computer 154. The process flow maythen end, block 318.

Referring now to FIG. 4, there is depicted an exemplary process flowdiagram for accessing the secure vault 160 from a mobile device 156,according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. In the exemplaryprocess flow, starting with block 402 and continuing on to block 404,the a request is received though the web vault application running onthe computer 154 to associate a mobile device 156 with the vault 162,allowing the user to access the vault 162 using the mobile device 156.To associate the mobile device 156, the user enters a device ID of themobile device 156 in the web vault application on the personal computer154, block 406. The device ID may include, for example, a telephonenumber, a mobile IP address, or other mobile identification numberassociated with the mobile device 156. The mobile device 156 may be acell phone, a PDA, or any other mobile computing device. The web vaultapplication forwards the device ID along with the request to associatethe mobile device 156 with the vault server 102. The vault server 102then forwards the device ID to the mobile vault server 104. The mobiledata manager 140 may send a communication though the mobile devicehandler 148 to the mobile device 156, block 408.

In an exemplary embodiment, the communication may be an SMS messageincluding a URL. The user clicks “submit” on the mobile device 156 tofollow the URL. Thereafter, a validation page appears on the mobiledevice browser including an activation code, block 410. The user may usethis activation code to enter a site associated with the secure vault160 on the mobile device 156. From this site, the user may view thecontents of the vault 162, block 414. In a further embodiment, the usermay also update, upload, or delete the data entries in the vault 162.The process flow may end, block 414.

Referring now to FIG. 5, an exemplary process flow diagram for creating,accessing, and synchronizing a mobile vault 164 is illustrated accordingto an embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, starting withblock 502 and continuing to block 504, the user may request a mobilevault application to be downloaded on the mobile device 156. The mobilevault application may create a mobile vault 164 on the mobile device156, which may include a copy of all or a portion of the secure vault160, stored locally on the mobile device 156. The mobile vaultapplication may also include a synchronization mechanism, requesting thedata from the secure vault 160 to be transferred to the mobile vault164. The mobile vault application may also create a virtual environmenton the mobile device 156 referred to herein as the “mobile wallet.” Inan exemplary embodiment, the mobile wallet provides an interface throughwhich the user may directly access the mobile vault 164 and/or thesecure vault 160.

In order to activate the mobile vault 164 in the mobile vaultapplication, the user enters an activation code, which may be theactivation code previously received in 410 in the browser window, block506. Thereafter, the mobile vault application is uploaded onto themobile device 156, block 508. In an exemplary embodiment, a soft tokenmay also be stored in a local memory of the mobile device 156 during theinstallation of the mobile vault program. The mobile vault applicationmay create a mobile vault 164 on the mobile device 156. The mobile vaultapplication may also set up a mobile wallet interface for user access tothe mobile vault 164 and/or the secure vault 160. In an exemplaryembodiment, the mobile wallet may display the list of items stored inthe secure vault 160 and mobile vault 164 and give the user an option tosynchronize the mobile vault 164 with the secure vault 160. Further, themobile wallet may give the user an option to delete, update, or view thedata in the mobile vault 164 and/or the secure vault 160.

After the installation is complete, the user may start the mobile walletand log in using their access code and password, block 510. Similarly tothe process described for the personal computer 154 with reference FIG.4, the soft token in the mobile device 156 automatically generates anOTP to allow access to the vault repository 136. After the user logs inusing the access code and password and the OTP is generated, the mobilevault application forwards the access code, password, and the OTP to themobile vault server 104 for authentication and, if allowed, connects tothe mobile vault server 104, block 512. Through the mobile wallet, theuser may connect to the vault repository 136 so as to access the securevault 160. The user may then add, delete, or update the contents of thesecure vault 160 via the mobile device 156 using the mobile vaultapplication.

In addition, the user may use the mobile wallet to update andsynchronize the mobile vault 164 on the mobile device 156 with thesecure vault 160, block 514. The synchronization process may startautomatically upon the user login, or, alternatively, may start uponspecific user request for synchronization. The user may add, delete, orupdate the data in the mobile vault 164 upon user authentication. Thesynchronization process, however, may require two-factor authentication.In an exemplary embodiment, the synchronization utility 142 (FIG. 2) maycontrol the flow of data to the mobile device 156. For example, afteruser request for data synchronization to the mobile vault 164, or userrequest for specific data in the secure vault 160, the synchronizationutility 142 may monitor the size of the data being transferred and ifthe data is too large for wireless transfer or if it is too may large tobe stored in the mobile device 156, the synchronization utility 142prevent the data to be transferred to the mobile device 156. Uponsynchronization, the user's changes in the mobile vault 164 mayautomatically be reflected in the secure vault 160. Alternatively, thesynchronization may be made from the secure vault 160 to the mobilevault 164, so that the mobile vault is updated according to the contentsof the secure vault 160. In yet another embodiment, the synchronizationutility may determine which of the secure vault 160 or mobile vault 164was the latest to be updated and synchronize the other accordingly.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, in addition toaccessing and viewing the data on the mobile device 156, data may besent from the secure vault 160 to a specified destination such as a faxmachine, an email address, or another mobile device, block 516. In thatcase, the mobile vault server 104 delivers the requested dada, such asdocuments or information, to that destination. In an exemplaryembodiment, the user is presented with a list of items in the vaultrepository 136 and can select one or more specific items to be sent. Theuser is also presented with a field on a screen of the mobile device156, which may be presented through the mobile wallet interface, whereshe can enter a fax number, an email address, a phone number, or otherdestination address. After the mobile data manager 140 receives theselected item and the destination address, it sends the requested datavia the mobile device handler 148 to the designated destination in theappropriate format, for example, of an email, a fax, a SMS message,etc., block 518. The process flow may end, block 520.

Turning now to FIG. 6, an exemplary process flow diagram is depicted forsynchronization of mobile vault 164 with secure vault 160, according toan exemplary embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 6, starting with 602,the process may continue with the synchronization utility 142 receivinga request for synchronization from the mobile device 156, block 604.Alternatively, synchronization may be performed upon user login andwithout specific request for synchronization. In yet another embodiment,synchronization may be performed periodically or may even be initiatedby the synchronization utility 142 upon occurrence of an event (e.g.,upon determination that the secure vault 160 or the mobile vault 164 hasbeen recently modified or updated).

After receiving a request for synchronization, in an exemplaryembodiment, the synchronization utility 142 may then determine thedirection of synchronization (i.e., whether the secure vault 160 or themobile vault 164 is to be updated), block 606, 608. The request forsynchronization may be indicated in the request for synchronization.Alternatively, the synchronization utility 142 may determine which ofthe secure vault 160 or the mobile vault 164 was the latest to bemodified or updated and synchronize the other accordingly. If the securevault 160 is to be synchronized with the mobile vault 164, the processmay proceed to perform synchronization by updating the data in thesecure vault 160 based on the contents of the mobile vault 164, block620

In an exemplary embodiment, if synchronization is to be performed fromsecure vault 160 to mobile vault 164, the synchronization utility 142may proceed to determine whether the size of any of the data forsynchronization is too large fir transfer or storage on the mobiledevice 156, block 610. If so, the synchronization utility 142 mayprevent the data from being transferred. In an exemplary embodiment,data may be categorized into various types (e.g., passwords, cards, textfiles, large documents, and photos) and the synchronization utility 142may prevent data files of particular types (e.g., photos and largedocuments) from being transferred to the mobile device 156.Alternatively, the synchronization utility 142 may prevent files largerthan a predetermined threshold data size from being transferred to themobile device 156. Otherwise the synchronization utility 142 may proceedwith synchronization, block 612. The process may then end, block 614

In an exemplary embodiment, if the synchronization utility 142 blockstransfer of a file, it may issue a message to the mobile device 156,indicating an error in transfer, or notifying the user that, e.g., thefile is not transferable, block 616. The synchronization utility 142 mayalso give the user an option to specify a destination (e.g., emailaddress or fax) for a data file that is too large for transfer orstorage to be sent.

In a further embodiment, if the data is too large for transfer orstorage on the mobile device 156, the synchronization utility 142 maycreate a snapshot of the data file (e.g., by truncating a large photo toa small snapshot or creating a one-page document including the firstpage of a large document) to be sent to the mobile device 156, block618. The snapshot may also include a compressed version of the datafile. Additionally or alternatively, the synchronization utility 142 maytransfer information relating to the data file, e.g., data type, size,date of creation, title, etc., to the mobile device 156. Thesynchronization utility 142 may then send the snapshot or fileinformation to the mobile vault 164, block 620. Alternatively, theoriginal data file may be sent to a specific destination (e.g., faxnumber of email) specified by the user. The process may then end, block614.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the user may use a computer168 (FIG. 1) other than the personal computer 154, which may not includethe web vault 162 and/or the soft token to access the contents of thesecure vault 160. The personal computer 154 may include the soft tokennecessary to generate an OTP for access to the secure vault 160 and maysynchronize the web vault 162 resident on the personal computer 154 withthe secure vault 160. The computer 168, however, does not include a webvault 162, nor does it include a soft token to allow user access to thesecure vault 160.

FIG. 7 depicts a process flow for using a computer 168 not including aweb vault 162 to access the secure vault 160 in the vault repository 136according to an embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 7, starting withblock 702, the process may continue with receiving user logininformation from the computer 168, through a web site designated foraccess to the vault server 102, block 704. The user may log into thevault server 102 using her access code and password. Upon authenticatingthe access code and password, the user may then be prompted to enter anOTP to access the vault repository 136, block 706. In an exemplaryembodiment, a mobile device 156, which already includes a soft token togenerate and/or retrieve an OTP. In an exemplary embodiment, the usermay be provided with an option in the mobile wallet interface to requestan OTP to be generated. The soft token resident on the mobile device 156may then generate an OTP. Once the OTP is generated, it may be displayedon the mobile device 156. Alternatively, the mobile device 156 maypresent the user with a field on the mobile device 156 screen, where theuser can enter a destination address such as a fax number, emailaddress, etc. The mobile device 156 may then send the OTP to thatdestination. Once the user receives the OTP, she may enter it manuallyin a prompt field on the computer 168, block 708. The entered OTP isthen authenticated as previously described and access is granted to thesecure vault 160, block 710. The process may then end, block 712.

In addition to secure storage and delivery of personal data, embodimentsof the invention may provide delivery of additional services to themobile device 156. In an exemplary embodiment, such services mayinclude, but are not limited to, identity theft solutions, identity riskanalysis, banking solutions, travel advisory, legal and financialservices, etc.

FIG. 8 depicts an exemplary block diagram of a system providing suchadditional services, according to an exemplary embodiment of theinvention. In FIG. 8, the exemplary system of the present invention asdepicted in FIG. 1 is further coupled to a service management server802. The service management server 802, in an exemplary embodiment,includes an account management module 820 and a billing module 822,which manage the user account and billing for the services provided tothe user. The service management server 802 is coupled to a plurality ofservice providers including, but not limited to a banking servicesprovider 804, a legal advice provider 806, a financial advice provider808, a traveling advisory provider 810, a theft identity solutionsprovider 812, and a credit monitoring provider 814.

In an exemplary embodiment, the banking services provider 804 is coupledto one or more bank accounts of the user and provides the user theability to check their account balance using the mobile device 156 in asecure manner via the mobile vault server 104. Further, the bankingservices provider 804 monitors the bank account and sends the user anotification upon an occurrence a trigger. The trigger may be, forexample, occurrence of an unusual or suspicious activity on the account,suspension of the account, or if the account balance falls below apredetermined level. The notification can be an SMS sent through themobile vault server 104 to the mobile device 156.

The legal advice provider 806 may be, for example, an entity providingonline legal advice. In an exemplary embodiment, the user types in alegal question through the mobile device 156, the personal computer 154,or the computer 168. The question is directed to the legal adviceprovider 806 though the service management server 802. The user may alsoprovide a fax number or email address where the response can be send. Alegal expert may provide a response, which is then sent back to theservice management server 802. The user is then billed accordingly forthe legal services and the expert's response is directed to thedestination provided by the user. The financial advice provider 808operates in a similar manner.

In an exemplary embodiment, the travel advisory 810 may be configured tosend weather advisory alert to user upon occurrence of a certaintrigger. The trigger may be, for example, prediction or detection ofsevere weather in a certain geographic area. Weather advisory may alsoinclude advising the user on the weather in travel destinations. Thetravel advisory 810 may also be coupled to a flight information center(not shown) to provide flight information to the user, including, forexample, whether they should expect a delay in a scheduled flight. Thetravel advisory 810 may send alerts via an SMS message to the user onthe mobile device 156.

The identity theft solutions provider 812 may provide a variety ofidentity theft solutions to the user via the mobile device 156. In anexemplary embodiment, the identity theft solutions provider 812 monitorsthe user's various bank accounts, credit accounts, informationdatabases, etc., and alerts the user if the user's identity has beencompromised. Also, the identity theft solutions provider 812 may performan identity theft risk score analysis based on various criteria, suchas, e.g., the degree of compromise of the person's identity in an onlinecredit card transaction. The identity theft solutions provider 812 thensends the user an alert, e.g., in the form of a SMS message to themobile device 156, if the risk score is higher than a predeterminednumber. Similarly, the credit monitoring provider 814 monitors thecredit activities of the user on various credit bureaus, e.g., Equifax,Expedian, and TransUnion, and sends an alert to the user's mobile device156 if there is a negative reporting to any of the credit bureaus.

The embodiments illustrated and discussed in this specification areintended only to teach those skilled in the art the best way known tothe inventors to make and use the invention. The above-describedembodiments of the invention may be modified or varied, and elementsadded or omitted, without departing from the invention, as appreciatedby those skilled in the art in light of the above teachings. Forexample, the order in which the steps are performed may be varied aslong as the above-described dependencies are maintained. It is thereforeto be understood that, within the scope of the claims and theirequivalents, the invention may be practiced otherwise than asspecifically described.

1. A method for authenticating user access to a secure vault in a vaultrepository comprising: receiving, at the vault repository, useridentification information from a user for verifying the identity of theuser; determining whether the user identification information is valid;if the user identification information is valid, transmitting a softtoken to a computing device associated with the user, the soft tokenconfigured to generate a first single use password; receiving, at thevault repository, the first single use password generated by the softtoken; generating a second single use password at the vault repository;and authenticating the user to access the secure vault based on thefirst and the second single use passwords. 2-21. (canceled)